Ellsworth American., 1887-03-17
For the Ellsworth American.
Surry in History No. 2.

one must be well read in history, to
name the links in the chain Of causes
which made the district of country, now
forming the counties of Hancock and
Washington, a part of Maine, rather than
of Acadia. New Brunswick, or Nova Scotia.
/; is matter Of history. that the British
government acquired possession of Nova
Scotia by strategy. rather than by con-
quest
Peace being restored between England
and France, by the treaty OF AK la
Chapelle in l74s. the British government
found upon its hands = larger number of
discharged soldiers and sailors. than it had
the means Of providing for. The plan APP
proved was to use them to- coloniZe Nova
Scotia To this end. were offered free
passage. one wears supplies. arms and
ammunition for defense. materials for
dwellings. boats, fishing gear. etc. Some
3 ESQ persons volunteered, and in June
l749 >loop OF war with II transports
landed them in safety in the hay Of che
hucto. at a cost To the mother government
Of f4o.0e0.
Thirty odd wears later. or at the close
of the war OF the Revolution, Great Brit
ain attempted ii> c"uy-Fefaf ia the >Uhju-
CATION Of Nova Scotia. to make a New
ireland" of all the territory from the
Penobscot to the -. CroiN TO be set apart
a> a home for the tories For wears after.
thi> proposed Tories Home" was >tig-
matizcd a. the -vipcrinc'> nest'
-kiddcr's History of Eastern Maine :
SAYS that at the capture of Quebec, in
l75a. no, an individual speaking the Eng
li>h tongue was residing in any part Of
this territory for. up to l7fp. both French
and Indian. looked upon the English a.
intruder, The last Indian massacre in
all these parts. WAS in August, l75"-
The fall Of Qu"fec, the Gettysburg" in
the long and bloody contest between Eng
land and France and it, natural sequence.
the conquest Of Canada wrc>tcd the whole
cxtcn, Of country lying between the St
Croix and Pcnoh>cot from the French.
ami opened II TO English settlers, which
was followed by fever for emigration
from the "Uld York" towns. and in 762-
;;-4-:,-,;-7 many a township received a col
ony each the germ OF town.
Surrv was flr>t settled al Turner :
Hill on the wc>i bank Of the river, which
tad just received it, apPcllation Of
Union" What was the Indian or French
name. there i no record evidence; nor do
the say-sos agree Was it HoHa4nG-
French or LeJnL Indian either. or neither:
For some 80 years the Union River set
tlcment included all the settlers from
WEYMOUTH lor Wtghmouth Point u
the Falls" above the Great Eddy. Down
To l-l2 grantor> and grantees in their
deeds and other documents hailed from
Uni. River. When the town wa> incor-
l,,ta,ed. in Iso3 majority Of the inhab
i,ant> desired to hale it known and called
by the style and title OF the Town OF
Union River"
The only clcw to the year when Inior
River No. 6. or Surry, was permanently
settled which has escaped the tooth OF
time" j. that given and preserved in {
patchwork Of related paris. il ! Gu
rious fact that in the archives OF Ma>sa
chusctt> Surry is the only town Of the
original six Of which no documents re
lating to its early history have been found
Nor does .Sullivan's History of Maine,
do more than % pass the initial point ii
silence by.